Sean Malone , bassist for the legendary metal band Cynic, has died at age 50, his bandmates have confirmed. He joined the band before their first album, Focus , in 1993, and returned in 2008 after a temporary hiatus.
“I learned today that Sean Malone has passed away,” said vocalist Paul Masvidal in the announcement. “I am numb and in a painful state of grief. He had a brilliant mind, a gracious heart, and was one of the best musicians I have ever met.”
“I know this is a shocking loss for so many of our fans whose lives were touched by him as an artist, as it is for me. Please keep him in your thoughts and listen to him playing to celebrate his life,” he concludes.
Mike Portnoy also paid tribute to the artist on his Twitter, “Totally shocked and saddened to hear about the passing of Sean Malone… he was a tremendous bassist and musician who I had the pleasure of working with many times over the years. He was my Geddy [Lee] in Cygnus & The Sea Monster , he played on the first OSI album with me… and the last time we played together was in 2014 when he was playing bass in John Wesley opening for Flying Colors .”
“This is another shocking loss in 2020… sadly the same year we also lost Sean Reinert , his rhythm partner at Cynic. Rest in peace Sean Malone,” he concludes, reminiscing.
The cause of Sean Malone's death has not been announced. Rest in peace.